Crimson: Is it fair for educational institutions to be exempted, when businesses are not?

Rosovsky: I think it's fair in one sense. Tenure, explicit the way that academic tenure is, can only be found in higher education. It does not exist to my knowledge in business. We are peculiar in that way, and you could perhaps argue that the price of lifetime tenure is mandatory retirement. I would consider that to be a reasonable trade-off. But I'm not convinced that this law makes sense for the rest of society.

Crimson: If the retirement age were uncapped, would the University have to assume a less accommodating attitude?

Rosovsky: For those who choose retirement or for those who are forced into retirement. I don't know. That may be one of the costs involved. One important aspect of academic life, indeed. I think, is that you can continue after retirement. I mean, compare the situation of a businessman or a factory worker. Once you retire, you sort of lose your environment. You can't go on. Whereas, a retired professor, it seems to me that I could go on doing much of what I was doing before. I can continue to write books. I can continue to write articles. I can talk to people about my subject, what have you. One thing that I cannot really do is I can't teach formal classes. I still can talk to graduate students, and other students.

Crimson: Does Harvard have an explicit flexible retirement system?

Rosovsky: Our mandatory age at the moment is 70. I think the practice on this faculty has always been to be as accommodating as possible to retired professors. We allow them to keep studies in Widener Library. All we try to make sure of is that these are really used. I think that we try to make them feel at home, and allow them to use all the facilities. We have professors well into their seventies who continue to operate laboratories.

Crimson: Have you considered divising a new tenure system in anticipation of this bill?

Rosovsky: I don't have the courage for it. This is not a decision I could make on my own, as you can well understand. This would be a matter of the highest importance, well beyond the faculty. It would have to involve the Corporation. If it comes to that, it may be something that I will indeed spend an enormous amount of time on--I just hope it doesn't

'We cannot have uncapping and continue with the tenure system as we know it.' Henry Rosovsky